Too Close For Comfort
by nlightnd
Summary: Esther learns the reason why Father Nightroad gets angry at her after she risks her life, and why he's always trying to push her away. AbelxEsther


A/N: This is my first Trinity Blood fic so be gentle, if possible. Hope you guys like it. :) This is AU since that's what I do best. I'm not one for strict characterization since every character has so much room to grow and change... This will also be an AbelxEsther pairing. God knows there's nowhere near enough of them to suit my tastes, but hopefully soon that'll be rectified if enough of us write them. :)

Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I wasn't creative enough to discover all the characters of this series. That distictive honor belongs to the late Yoshida Sunao. The world lost a great creative mind with his passing!

Too Close For Comfort

By:Nlightnd

Tears streaming down her pale, stricken face, Sister Esther Blanchett sobbed in silence. Not over the bloody gash freely spilling onto her clothes and in the street, where she had collapsed from exhaustion. Her tears were caused by the brash, impulsive words of a priest. A priest so clumsy he couldn't walk a straight line without screwing it up.

Uncertain why he'd snapped at her, she replayed the events over and over again in her head, wondering the same thing each time. Father Nightroad was usually unfailingly gentle with her and so patient, but tonight he'd been short and incredibly rude! He hadn't even bothered to ask if she was alright, he'd just yelled at her, slapped her for her foolishness and stormed out into the night; leaving her all alone.

"Why, Father Nightroad? What did I do? I'd apologize if I knew what for?" Her anguished questions floated into the night air with the tears she cried.

A delicate, small hand reached up to lightly caress her still stinging cheek; the night's events came rushing back, flooding her with it's freshness.

_**Flashback...**_

The petite red headed nun had left the inn that both her and Father Nightroad were occupying for the night. He'd left earlier with instructions for her to stay in the room and he'd be back later.

But for Esther, she'd always had trouble obeying after being told to stay put. Those words always seemed to catapult her from her place of safety and landing her into uncertainty, chaos and danger. Which Father Nighroad would admonish her later and scold her into complete embarassment. Following red cheeked embarassment...a barrage of tears. All of which she hid from him. She never wanted him to see her cry. Never.

Hours later, Father Nightroad hadn't returned and she was becoming rather worried. Glancing at the clock it read almost midnight. "Okay, that settles it. I'm going out to look for him! After all, what if he's hurt and can't make it back on his own?"

Set in her resolve, she stepped from the inn and on to the cobblestoned street. Wandering around for what seemed like hours, she'd come to the conclusion that she was lost and nowhere near finding a lost priest. Or so she surmised. Coming to an alley, she'd walked three-fourths down it's long length before seeing it was a dead end.

"Damn!"

"A nun really shouldn't swear, you know."

Stopping short, her small body turned to the second voice. Her large, blue eyes widened in fear. She was really in trouble now! Standing before her was no ordinary man, or creature. He was a Methusalah. One who radiated cruelty and sadistic intentions. Shoulder length blond hair fell over his left eye making him seem rakish, his tall, thin form formidable.

"What do you want?" She'd intended her voice to come out strong, but it trembled and wavered softly, unable to carry out her intentions.

Smiling wolfishly at her distress, he shrugged. "You appear to be lost, and I thought I'd be a good Samaritan and help you out. But if you don't want my help then I'll just go." He turned to leave when her voice called out to him.

"Wait!" She twisted her white gloved hands in nervousness. "Could you help me find my way back? The only reason I'm out here is I'm looking for a priest. He's very tall, " she said gesturing with her hands, "with long, silver hair and glasses. Have you seen him?"

The vampire knew exactly who she referred to, and frankly, he hated the priest with a passion. The priest's alter ego, The Crusnik, had eliminated more of his kind than any other vampire hunting organization combined. Opportunity had granted him the chance for a little vengeance for his lost brothers and sisters. Rubbing his hands with glee, this will be such fun, he thought.

Walking purposefully towards her, he wrapped an arm around her directing her towards the back of the alley. "I'm sorry my dear, but the only help I'm able to give is to send you to the after life."

Her face fell as she realized her mistake. Unfortunately, the price tag for this mistake would likely be her life! Oh! How she'd wished she'd listened to Father Nightroad for once! This time he probably wouldn't be around to save her. She didn't even know where he was currently, whether he was dead in a ditch or laid up bleeding, she didn't know.

"You can just let me go, I won't say a word. I never saw you. Please!" Her soft pleas stretched out between them. Tears, one by one, fell soft as the rain in her fear.

"Not possible, my dear Esther. However, I do want to thank you for giving me such a delectable meal this evening. Had it not been for you, I would've had to hunt some other poor innocent down, so be grateful. You're giving up your life for the greater good."

Advancing closer on her, he gently took her in his arms, pulling her to him. Licking his lips in anticipation, he was surprised when she looked up at him and he briefly saw the flame of anger in her eyes.

Taking advantage of that brief moment in time, she gathered as much air into her lungs as possible. Releasing all that force and energy, she screamed the name of the one person who could help her, save her.

"Father Nightroad!"

Father Abel Nightroad sat at at table in front of a loca cafe drinking his usual tea with milk and thirteen lumps of sugar. The waitress' eyes about bulged out of her head at the sugar request. Apparently she'd never met anyone with that sort of odd request.

Grasping the tea cup in his large hand, he raised it to his lips, prepared to enjoy a sip of hot, sweet tea when suddenly a high pitched voice screamed. Stunned by the abruptness of it his grip slackened, and the cup crashed down to the saucer sitting on the tabletop; spilling his precious sugary tea everywhere.

Mumbling as he dabbed his coat with napkins it took a few seconds for the priest to realize that it was his name that had been screamed. Furthermore, it was a female voice that was doing the screaming. Head jerking up to stare straight ahead, he whispered her name, afraid for her, "Esther!"

Jumping up, he ducked into one of the surrounding alleys, running, searching feverishly for her. Finally, after what felt like a lifetime, he came upon them. A tall, blond vampire holding her, preparing to bite her.

Seeing red, Father Nightroad cleared his throat. "Let go of her this instant!"

Spinning around, the vampire leered, "Why? What will you do priest? Will you let this innocent see you as you really are?"

His hand lightly trailed down the upper portion of her body. "She has no idea of the monster you become. Nor does she know about the countless Methesalah you've exterminated!" His eyes showed how unstable he was becoming. They possessed a manic look in them. The kind that desperation couldn't begin to touch.

Her small body shook against the vampire holding her prisoner. "F-father Nightroad! Help me, please!"

Abel's steel blue gaze slid down to the little nun held firmly in his enemy's grasp. Pushing his wire framed glasses further up the bridge of his aristocratic nose, he calmly replied, "Sister Esther, everything will be fine. Stay still and close your eyes."

Nodding, she did as ordered, for once. Suddenly, her body was pushed aside into the concrete wall. Her head smacked the surface with a solid thud and she could feel a small stream of blood running down her face. Turning her back to the wall, she watched as the vampire and Father Nightroad fighting with all their might.

Slashing with his claws and fangs, the Methusalah desperately, angrily swiping at at the priest, eventually scoring a hit on the priest's chest.

Esther cried out in horror. Rushing forward, remembering the pistol at her side, she whipped it out, and prepared to fire. "How dare you touch him?!", she yelled in outrage.

Aiming for the vampire's heart, she gently applied a small amount of pressure on the trigger, without discharging the weapon, when abruptly her target vanished! In the blink of an eye he appeared at her side, his sharp claws swung down in her direction. She bit her lip as his nails tore through clothing and skin, blood immediately coating everything in its red, copper smelling substance. A vampire's aphrodisiac.

Wincing, Esther knew she'd really be in for it this time when Father Nighroad was done with her! Not only had she foolishly risked her life, but she'd allowed herself to get injured in the process. Someone above must really be unhappy with her today. That or her traveling companion's bad luck was finally rubbing off on her!

Hearing his shout of fury when the Methusalah cut her, Esther's eyes shot open in horror upon hearing his voice. 

"Crusnik 02 power to forty percent."

The vampire facing Father Nightroad laughed. "Perfect. Now you're finally going to come out and play."

Abel's pale, white skin took on a light blue-ish hue, his silver hair turned darker and standing straight up from his head, a gravity defying feat in itself. In his hand, a large scythe whose staff was as tall as the creature weilding it. He radiated a menacing field of energy towards the vampire who stood in the shadows preparing to go after the kneeling, petite girl cowering at his feet.

"Father Nightroad?"

The questions and disbelief in her voice echoed in her shocked eyes. No one had every spoken of this to her. Did all of them at AX know? And if so, could they not have trusted her with this? In truth, hurt and betrayal stabbed her heart and soul. People she worked with, trusted, didn't trust her enough to share something this vital.

Her eyes had fallen to the stones beneath her. Lifting them again, she watched as the vampire and the creature better known as Father Nightroad battle for their lives.

The blond vampire reached out to swing again only to be blocked by the staff of The Crusnik's scythe. The taller, faster Crusnik reacted by swinging his sythe around towards the vampire's throat.

Acting out of self preservation, the vampire tried to block the oncoming blow with his arm, which the scythe easily severed, the limb falling to the ground; it's fingers twitching as the nerves began dying. Grabbing the remaining stump, the Methusalah howled in pain and anger.

"Damn you, Crusnik! You'll pay for this!"

Inwardly, the Crusnik was laughing at his adversary. The fool was no match for him at all. He was still very young in years and experience, but his fury made him unpredictable. And with Esther in the equation, he had to be careful in his actions, making sure no harm came to her. "Prepare to die, Methusalah. Beg forgiveness for your sins and may it be granted to you."

The unnamed vampire made his move. Lunging for Esther, he came within inches of tearing into her jugular vein when the gigantic scythe swung into view.

Esther screamed as she realized what the vampire intended to do. She also saw as the creature called Crusnik moved to counteract the vampire's movement. Horrified, her eyes witnessed as the Crusnik's weapon swung straight and true at the vampire's neck. Deftly slicing through flesh, muscle and bone, blood splurted all over the shaking nun, covering her with the Methusalah's blood. Throwing her hands up to her ears, she screamed, refusing to stop until she ran out of breath.

Chest heaving, she repeated over and over, "It's not real. Not real. Not real."

The Crusnik usure of how to approach her decided it was best to go to her as her beloved friend and companion, Father Abel. Willing the change to envelop him, he felt his body shift back to normal.

Watching her as she began her meltdown, the gentle look returned to his eyes banishing the wildness that had previously occupied his beautiful, blue eyes. Strolling over to her, he touched her arm and then slowly hugged her, willing her to calm down.

Muttering repeatedly and crying, she tensed the very second a hand brushed her arm. Peeking up at the perpetrator through wet lashes, she allowed him to draw her to his chest, holding her tightly, calming her as nothing else could.

Some time later, after his initial adrenaline had vanished, he grew angry at her foolish risk. Pushing her away from him, he frowned. "Sister Esther, what were you thinking? Once again, you didn't obey orders, put your life in danger, and was almost killed!"

"But, Father Nightroad, you'd be gone for several hours without returning and I thought-"

"You thought?" Crossing his arms he waited on her answer.

"I thought that maybe you'd gotten hurt or were lying dead in a ditch somewhere, and I was worried!"

Patience thrown to the wind, aggravatedly, he replied, "I've been doing this far longer than you can imagine. I didn't need help. Frankly, I grow tired of this constant disobedience! When you're ordered to do something, you do it, no questions asked! Do you understand?"

"But-"

"No, buts. You will follow them or else."

"But-"

Esther's cheek stung with the small slap he delivered. She supposed he did it to get her full attention and agreement, but it still hurt her feelings nevertheless. Tears welled, but she refused to let them fall.

Seeing the hurt expression on her face cut Abel to the bone. He hated doing that to her, only sometimes it was the one way to silence her protestations. Striking her made him feel so weak, not strong. If it made him feel this way, then why did he indulge it? Maybe there was a part of Cain in him after all. The thought disgusted him, and spinning on his heel, he turned away from Esther storming off into the shadowed night.

Dissolving into full blown tears, she rose to her feet and ran from the alley; letting the darkness envelop her fleeing figure. Not knowing where she was going, she kept running until she came to the river front. Finding a secluded spot on it's bank, she sat and cried her heart out.

She'd never realized that her arm was still bleeding, coloring her white dress a deep, crimson red. "Father Nightroad, why? What did I do to deserve this? All I've ever done is care for you, love you even."

Staring into the distance at the water, its waves cresting against each other creating a gentle, rolling motion. "You push me away all the time. Why? For what reason? Is it because of what I say tonight? I just want to know why?"

Her words ended in a whisper of despair. An emotion Esther rarely felt, and one that hardly ever surfaced while she was around the gorgeous, silver haired priest whom she adored.

_**End flashback...**_

Bringing her knees up to her chest, folding her arms across her knees, she lay her head down on her arms wanting nothing more than to rest. Her tears, however, had other ideas. They wouldn't stop. They just kept pouring from her eyes like the rain during a spring storm.

While she cried, she had no idea that she was being watched. Had she known, she probably wouldn't have cared. The girl was too wrapped up in hurt feelings and painful emotions. A thought popped into her head. Maybe she should resign from AX. Father Nightroad would no longer have a reason to scold her, then again, she would have no reason to be with Father Nightroad. None at all.

A lone, tall form observed her from the shadows. It was a pity to see the red head this way. He wasn't used to it, he was used to her scolding him when he did something incredibly stupid, like he did with her when their roles were reversed. He was also used to her gentle, loving nature. She hated to harm any living thing, just like him.

Abel hated himself for putting the tears in her eyes. Worse yet, he despised himself for making her cry this way. It sounded like her heart was broken, and then something else caught his eye. Looking closer he noticed that her arm hadn't been attended to and was still bleeding freely. If she didn't hurry, she'd pass out and die from blood loss, and he couldn't have that!

Rushing to her side, he spoke to her in a low, calming tone. "Ssh. I'm here, Esther. Everything will be alright."

Stunned to hear his voice, her head shot up; and she gasped, "Father Nightroad!" Throwing herself against his thin, but muscular chest, she hugged him tight. "I'm sorry, I'm so, so sorry! For everything. I'll try to do better, honest, I will!"

Placing his finger against her lips, he said, "No need. It is I who must apologize to you for my harsh words and actions. First, let me take care of your wound so you won't bleed out in the street."

Saying nothing, she nodded her head once in agreement.

Abel took off his coat. Retrieving a white handkerchief from his pocket, he tied it snugly around the gash. Hopefully it would help stem the flow for now, at least until he could get her back to their room at the inn. Picking up his coat he draped it around her small shoulders shielding her from the cooling night temperature.

Tenderly, he picked her up bridal style and began the trek back to their room.

Disbelieving that she was being held so close to the man she loved, she pinched herself for a quick reality check. It had hurt, so yes, this was truly real. The breath caught in her very throat when he glanced down at her, his blue eyes filled with concern.

"Are you alright, Sister Esther?"

Damn. So he'd fallen back to that, had he? Well she wouldn't let him. "Call me, Esther, please. Just like you did earlier. It sounds so much better than Sister Esther."

Surprised, he stopped momentarily. "But-"

"No buts. And if you still prefer me to call you Father Nightroad then I shall abide by your wishes, but I wish you to call me just plain Esther. Agreed?"

Silence. Would he agree? Sometimes the priest was an unpredictable force all his own.

"I agree."

Wow, talk about unpredictable. A small victory in her favor as she saw it! Looking up, she was taken aback to see they were already back at the inn; standing outside the door to their room.

Abel unlocked the door with Esther held firmly in his arms. Entering the premises, he flicked on the light that sat by the bed.

Laying her down so softly as not to cause her any pain, he untied the handkerchief from her arm to begin the process of disinfecting and cleaning it. Gathering several supplies, a basin filled with water and a rag, he sat them down on the table next to her. Flashing her an apologetic look, "I'm sorry, Esther, but this will hurt, no way around it."

"That's okay. Just do what you have to do, and get it over with. That's all I ask." Breathing deeply, she prepared herself mentally for the pain Abel told her about.

Using alcohol to clean the blood from the surrounding skin, he grimaced as Esther hissed in pain. Apparently, some of the stinging liquid had seeped into the wound; hurting significantly. Next, the knowledgable priest poured some peroxide inside the gash and almost laughed as Esther watched the bubbling liquid in fascination.

Outside of a gasp or hiss here and there, the red head stayed still and quiet, trying not to interrupt Abel as he worked diligently to cleanse the deep gash. She wondered if he was through with her yet. She quickly discovered he wasn't.

Errant strands of his long, silver hair escaped his black ribbon, falling over his shoulder and into his face making him seem almost boyish looking. Reaching over to the table, he held something dangling from his thumb and forefinger. Needle and thread.

Skittishly staring at the metal with frightened eyes, she questioned, "Um, what are you going to do with that?"

"Esther, do you trust me?" Abel steadily met her eyes, refusing to show her any apprehension regarding stitching up her wound.

"With my life. Why?" A hint of doubt creeped in.

"Your wound is too deep to leave alone, and unfortunately, we're unlucky enough not to have any surgeons nearby, so this is something I must do."

"Have you done this before?"

"Yes. For myself and many others. So have no fear. I'm here with you, remember."

Rolling her eyes, she laughed and then closed her eyes tight. The feeling that this was going to hurt like hell tapped at her head.

Suddenly feeling the needle penetrate her skin, she whimpered, but refused to cry. This went on for long drawn out minutes until Abel announced he was finished.

Happily, she cried out, "Thank God, and thank you, Father Nightroad!" She gave him a quick hug for his efforts and was rewarded with a tired, but sincere smile.

"If you're going to insist on being called Esther, then I want the same privilege. I'd rather you call me Abel instead of Father Nightroad. It sounds so much better that way." He added a wink to make her smile, and the brilliant smile she bestowed on him made him feel blessed to be with her.

"Abel, there's something I wanted to ask you. I'll only have the courage to ask this once, so don't ask me to repeat it."

"Alright." He had a sinking feeling this was about the Crusnik, and he was ready to explain about that just yet. He didn't really have the words to explain the creature he became when his power was unleashed. Would she understand? Could she understand, or was that asking too much?

Biting her lip, she took in a cleansing breath, releasing it back out again, "Why did you get so angry with me, Abel? And then when you struck me...I felt like I was such a bitter disappointment to you. That I'm nothing, no use to you at all. But nothing felt worse than to feel all your anger directed at me! I just want to know why!"

Her voice, a soft plea jarred loose something inside his heart. Abel was completely surprised, he was certain she'd ask about his Crusnik. But she hadn't. As for being protective...he'd always been protective over her, but here lately another feeling had been stirring, growing. Hesitant to put a name to that emotion, he attempted to ignore it, but it would no longer be ignored.

Any time that Esther was in danger, he pulled out all stops, even bringing out The Crusnik in order to protect her. She meant so much to him, and odds are she wasn't aware of what she meant to him. If anything happened to her because he was afraid to use his power than he'd ultimately never forgive himself. There were no doubts in his mind.

After careful consideration, he spoke, aleviating her curiosity.

"Esther, I've tried to keep you at arms length, and for good reason. The last woman I loved ended up dead. Everyone else, at some point ends up getting hurt or killed as well. I don't want to see you hurt, and I sure don't want to see you dead!"

The ferocity of his words conveyed his emotions to her; causing her to smile, even with the clear water pooling in her eyes. In his eyes she was nothing short of exquisite. Beautiful. She was his angel whether she knew it or not.

"Tonight, seeing that Methusalah standing over you, holding you; ready to take your life sent me into a rage like I've never known. The thought of losing you, and the fact that I could've lost you tonight was too close for my comfort. Sad thing is, I'd never taken the time to tell you."

"I knew you cared for me, but I thought it was best to leave well enough alone and let you be. Allow you to find someone, human, to love and die for. But as you can see...my efforts were in vain for I don't think i could be so noble as to sacrifice you to another man."

"Abel." His name she whispered so lovingly. "I'm so happy that you feel the same! I believed that my love was one sided, never to be returned by you."

"We were both wrong."

"Yes, we were."

Climbing on to the bed so as not to jar her arm, Abel leaned against the headboard, pulling her back to his chest urging her to lean back and rest.

Testing the waters, he leaned his head down, turning her face towards his and gently placed his warm lips against hers. Feeling her lips and body trembling, he wrapped his long, strong arms around her waist, deeping the kiss.

Breaking off, he asked her, "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine. Just nervous. I've never done this before. But I like it."

"So do I", he replied.

Deciding it would be best to take it easy for the night, Abel and Esther lay peacefully on the bed, arms and fingers lovingly entwined.

A short time later, they both slept, no nightmares, nothing but dreams of each other and the possibities of life that lay before them.

A/N: This was just a little something that hit me in the head and wouldn't let go until I wrote it. I realize that they're OOC, but I like them better that way. I don't know if I'll continue this or not, I guess it al depends on you, the readers. So if you guys want this to keep going...then leave me a note and let me know. Thanx!! Have a great weekend! I appreciate all of you stopping by:)


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